Fair and efficient handling of foreign-related commercial cases and stronger cooperation between courts and arbitration were highlighted at a major international legal gathering in Shanghai, where Bruneian arbitrator and King’s Counsel Dr Colin Ong KC joined senior judges and international commercial experts.
The fifth seminar of the International Commercial Expert Committee, convened by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on September 9, brought together senior judicial figures and experts in international commercial dispute resolution. Dr Colin Ong KC, one of the court’s foreign commercial experts, was invited to deliver a speech and share his experiences and proposals.
Senior judges from the Supreme People’s Court and other international experts also addressed the seminar, including judges from the Singapore Court of Appeal and a former Chief Justice of England and Wales.
For the first time, the major international legal event was hosted in Shanghai instead of Beijing. China’s Chief Justice Zhang Jun said Chinese courts would continue handling foreign-related commercial cases fairly and efficiently, unify adjudication standards to stabilise market expectations, upgrade the one-stop platform and deepen the interplay between courts and arbitration.
The gathering included senior Supreme People’s Court judges and international commercial experts, Shanghai state and party leaders, as well as representatives of international legal organisations including UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law) and UNIDROIT (International Institute for the Unification of Private Law).
Ahead of the seminar, a reappointment ceremony was held for the International Commercial Expert Committee. Dr Colin Ong KC is currently serving his second four-year term on the committee.
A key focus was China’s “one-stop” platform, under which international commercial disputes can move between mediation, arbitration and litigation within a unified system. The approach is intended to give foreign investors and trading partners greater confidence in using the platform and encourage its consideration when drafting dispute resolution clauses involving Chinese counterparties or dealing with cross-border disputes in China.
Following the meeting in China, Dr Colin Ong KC delivered a speech at the annual Singapore University of Social Sciences lecture at Flower Field Hall, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
The lecture attracted 600 attendees at the auditorium and close to 500 online participants. Attendees included building industry officials, representatives of multinational companies, lawyers, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and other professionals in Singapore’s building and infrastructure industry.